Democrats Plan Early Primaries In Response To Republican Move

January 14, 2002|By Richard L. Berke The New York Times

Washington — The Democratic Party is expected to approve a complete overhaul of the presidential primary schedule that would make the primaries in 2004 even earlier than in the past, a move that could significantly alter how the party picks its nominee.

Party officials say the plan will ensure that Democrats are more competitive with President Bush as he seeks re-election.

But many Democratic strategists and outside experts are worried that the change will force candidates to begin raising money and campaigning even earlier than in previous campaigns. They have also expressed fear that the change could spur so many large states, such as New York and California, to move up their primaries that the outcome could be tantamount to a national primary -- as early as the first week in February 2004 -- at which the nominee is all but decided on a single winter Tuesday.

The plan, to be voted on at the Democrats' winter meeting here this week, would preserve Iowa and New Hampshire as the states that hold the first contests. But it would allow all other states to hold primaries as early as Feb. 3, five weeks earlier than the party permitted in 2000.

Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa and Gov. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, both Democrats, said in interviews that they would support the new plan because it maintained their states' traditional positions as the first battlegrounds. Specifically, the plan calls for Iowa to convene its caucuses on Jan. 19, 2004, and New Hampshire to hold its primary on Jan. 27.

But Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic Party chairman who engineered the change, expressed misgivings about the schedule. "I would prefer to have the whole thing start much later," he said in an interview. "I would just as soon they all push back and they all start in March."

McAuliffe said he thought he had to revise the calendar to match a change made by the Republicans in 2000 to move up their primaries. After the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary in 2000, Democrats were sidelined for a month with no contests while Republicans were competing and capturing all the attention.

Party strategists and academics say the change will lead prospective candidates for 2004 to begin aggressively stumping earlier than in the past. They expressed concern that the primary season could begin and end before voters have a sufficient chance to assess the contenders.